'Smart eyes' will now be utilised to arrest stray cattle nuisance and send automatic alerts to officials concerned in Surat. The city was the first in the country to create CCTV surveillance networks to control crime in 2013.
Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is developing a CCTV project with Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) to specifically apprehend cattle nuisances and transmit automatic notifications to the appropriate authority. In the recent budget, SMC reserved Rs three crore for the CCTV project, and the funds would be utilised to develop its technology and infrastructure. An official told the media that with the help of SVNIT engineering researchers, SMC would be the first in the country to have an in-house developed technology to manage stray cattle menace. The civic body carried out a trial run of the project and discovered that with a few improvements, it could be executed. Earlier, the Gujarat high court issued a notice to the Urban development department of the State Government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) over a PIL requesting a complete ban on stray cattle on the state roads. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) also requested the court to direct the authorities to report a First Information Report (FIR) for culpable homicide against cattle owners who let their animals free on the streets, threatening the lives of citizens. Apart from this, the PIL also demanded establishing a judicial panel to make a draft comprehensive and stringent law for animal safety by amending provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. It also urged orders be issued to the civic authorities to give the Cattle Nuisance Control Department’s (CNCD) service constantly so that cattle are not out on the roads even at night. Image Source
